What measures to reduce emissions from the beef sector could be in the Climate Action Plan 2023 when published on Wednesday? What will they cost and how much greenhouse gas will they remove?
As Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and his team finalise the plan, a series of nine beef sector measures put forward by the Food Vision beef and sheep group detailed below could be in the mix.
In summary, they aim to have fewer cattle in the beef herd, get cattle left in the herd to slaughter or first calve at younger ages, improve their genetics, get more of them into organic systems and feed them methane-reducing additives and grass produced with less nitrogen.
It’s also understood that alternative or adjusted measures could be included in Wednesday’s plan.
However, speaking on Monday, Minister McConalogue dismissed the prospect of including a 10% cattle cull which would see some 700,000 removed from the herd.
Farmers cull sucklers
Proposal: While voluntary, this proposal would see farmers incentivised to cull their suckler herd and have no cows over a ‘contract period’. They would instead farm other beef and/or sheep systems.
Farmers voluntarily signed up to this scheme would receive an annual payment. The income forgone for each suckler cow has been estimated at €1,080, but there has been no per-cow compensation rates recommended yet, one of the main reasons farm organisations have distanced themselves from the report.
Cost: Meat Industry Ireland has warned of a €1.5bn hit to the economy if this, and the second suckler cull proposal below, are followed through with.
It would reduce throughput in the beef processing sector, resulting in a potential loss of markets, jobs and processing efficiency.
Environmental benefit: Could cut 0.06 mega tonne (Mt) methane for every 10,000 suckler cows and followers culled, albeit this would largely depend on uptake.
Farmers cut suckler numbers
Proposal: While voluntary and not a full cull, this proposal would incentivise suckler farmers to cut cow numbers and run other drystock beef or sheep enterprises instead.
Similarly, the measure would operate over a ‘contract period’ and voluntary participant farmers would receive an annual payment. The income forgone for each suckler cow removed from the herd is estimated at €1,350.
However, similar to the full destocking proposal, no per-cow compensation rates have been recommended yet.
Cost: Meat Industry Ireland has warned of a €1.5bn hit to the economy if this, and the second suckler cull proposal above, are followed through with.
It would reduce throughput in the beef processing sector, resulting in a potential loss of markets, jobs and loss of processing efficiency.
Environmental benefit: Could cut 0.06Mt methane for every 10,000 suckler cows and followers culled, albeit this would again largely depend on uptake.
Farmers reduce slaughter age
Proposal: Reduce the average slaughter age of cattle to 22 or 23 months by 2030, down from the 2018 average of 26 months. This would require better herd management and improved genetics to make cattle put on more weight at younger ages.
Cost: Estimated to have a positive economic effect at farm level, but there would be a potential loss of beef tonnage for processors. The measure would require farmers to invest in weight recording tools and improve their farm management practices.
Environmental benefit: Could cut 0.57Mt to 0.82Mt of methane in a short- to medium-term period.
Farmers reduce age at first calving
Proposal: While the ‘innovation’ of calving heifers at 24 months has been around a long time, according to Teagasc, only 25% of suckler heifers calve between 22 and 26 months.
This proposal would reduce the age at which a heifer first calves by between 2.0 and 3.8 months to between 26.4 and 28.2 months, compared with the 2018 average of 30.2 months.
Cost: It would have a positive effect on farm economics, particularly where homebred replacements are kept. However, it would involve farmers investing in genetics, improved farm management and feed technologies.
Environmental benefit: Could cut between 0.05Mt and 0.10Mt of methane by 2030, with the greater removal impact associated with the 3.8-month target.
Farmers use more protected urea
Proposal: Grass-based beef farmers would be encouraged to replace 90% of their CAN use with protected urea by the end of 2025.
Cost: No additional cost estimated, as protected urea is cheaper than CAN on a cost-per-kg-of-nitrogen basis.
Farmers may consider it more expensive than urea on a per-tonne basis, but it provides the same ‘effective N’ as urea at a 12% lower application rate.
Environmental benefit: Could cut 0.2Mt of nitrous oxide in the short term.
Farmers cut overall nitrogen use
Proposal: Beef farmers encouraged to cut chemical nitrogen use by 27% to 30% by 2030, with an interim target of 22% to 25% by 2025.
Cost: While Teagasc studies and analysis is ongoing, the exact economic hit this would create for beef farmers is not yet known.
Environmental benefit: Could cut up to 0.26Mt nitrous oxide by the end of 2030.
More organic beef farmers
Proposal: Create a push for more organic beef production, which would increase the total area under such to 180,000ha by 2027. When the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) recently closed for applications, 2,100 new organic entrants signed up to commence conversion in January. The majority of which are in beef and sheep production.
Cost: The Government has set aside a budget of some €250m for organic farmers over the lifetime of the new CAP 2023-2027.
Conversion costs faced by farmers are to be somewhat mitigated through annual lump sum and area-based payments. However, the full cost is not yet known.
Many converting farmers need to invest in different stock types and housing facilities.
Further research is required to establish the price premium available in the market for organic beef, the volume of which is set to double from January 2025.
Environmental benefit: Could cut up to 0.2Mt of all greenhouse gases in the short to medium term.
Improvements in beef genetics
Proposal: Breed beef cattle to produce less methane over their lifetime through a carbon sub-index and building on efficiency traits.
This proposal operates off the idea that two suckler cows standing beside each other in a field, on the same diet, do not necessarily produce the same level of methane.
Cost: It’s estimated by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation that a genotyping strategy, aimed at delivering more carbon-efficient beef cattle, would cost €10.1m/year, with cumulative costs of €80.9m to 2030.
Environmental benefit: There would be short-, medium- and long-term removal benefits, which could see some 0.1Mt to 0.3Mt methane cut from the beef herd.
Methane-cutting feed technology
Proposal: Feed cattle an additive to make them produce less methane.
The science involved in this innovation continues to develop, with a number of products, including boluses, in the works.
It’s proposed that research in emerging feed additives and feeding methods should be accelerated to ensure early beef farmer adoption.
Cost: The cost of the additives per beef animal is estimated at €25.55 per year. Total estimated costs for the beef sector could be in the region of €11.3m.
Environmental benefit: Could cut 0.15Mt to 0.3Mt methane in the short to medium term.
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